The Interstate 95 express lane authority is price gouging! The express lane toll increases dramatically relative to traffic congestion, roadway emergencies and increased demand by motorists. A merchant who increases his prices during a weather emergency and times of increased demand can in some cases be prosecuted for price gouging (Florida Statute 501.160). It is despicable when done by unethical merchants, and even more so when it is done by a government entity. This practice is nothing more than an immoral money grab, and the I-95 authority ought to be held accountable.

Pricing according to consumer demand “nothing more than an immoral money grab”? The response is illustrative of the fact that historical pricing practices acquire a sort of normative value to consumers and deviation from normal can seem unnatural and even, in the view of some consumers, as immoral. (But only when we’re talking price increases. “Unnatural” price decreases don’t rattle a consumer’s moral consciousness much at all. For discussion, see the book linked above.)